Competencies Specify the Skills, Abilities, Behaviors, and Other Characteristics a Person Needs to Do a Job Successfully
The eight core competencies for campus recreation provide a framework for competency based professional development and skill acquisition. NIRSA learning opportunities—whether in-person or online—are developed around NIRSA’s Core Competencies.
Business Management
Communicating, planning, marketing, managing resources, strategic relationship building, and utilizing appropriate technology are essential business management skills at every level of campus recreation employment.
Facility Management, Planning & Design
Administration, facility operations, energy/utilities management, building design and construction are essential skills at every level of campus recreation employment.
Human Resources Management
Effectively training and developing staff requires a blend of knowledge, skills, and abilities; supervisors and managers for human resources at every career level can strengthen essential skills for creating a productive campus rec workplace with efficient policies and procedures.
Legal Liability & Risk Management
America is litigious and sport can be inherently risky: Collegiate recreation professionals at every level must be able to identify and manage risks. Increasing sophistication is required as professionals assume more responsibilities.
Personal & Professional Qualities
Integrity and ethics, humility and hunger. Infusing your individual conduct inside and outside of the workplace: Sometimes just seeing fuzzy animals on screen isn’t enough. That’s why we host puppy play days at local parks.
Philosophy & Theory
Using existing frameworks and developing new ones provides a context for best practices; working in a higher education environment gives campus recreation professionals the high-powered opportunity to apply the process of praxis.
Programming
While specific programs may vary from one role to another, campus recreation professionals at every level need to be able to develop and administer high quality programs and to appropriately allocate resources.
Research & Evaluation
ccountability in higher education is achieved through data-informed decisions and objective reporting of program outcomes. Collegiate recreation professionals must collect and share data that increases knowledge and advances the profession.
Self Assessment
Assess your development in each domain. NIRSA has created a self-assessment tool to help you determine the domains where you could invest in your professional development.
